The impacts of Colorado’s Amendment 64, which legalizes marijuana for recreational purposes, have not yet been felt in Windsor, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been considered by the town board.

During the Jan. 14 informal work session, the town board got a preview of next week’s longer work session discussion about the new ordinance and discussed the merits of placing a moratorium on the industry in Windsor

“We got beat up last time,” said board member Robert Bishop-Cotner, referring to the board’s efforts to craft an ordinance to police the medical marijuana industry. The ordinance ended up being overridden when Windsor voters banned medical marijuana dispensaries and operations in town limits in November 2010. “I want to wait and see what the state does.”

“Next week’s discussion is just about what the law is and what it isn’t, some immediate concerns we have, timelines and markers of things you want to be aware of regarding the amendment, the Legislature’s work and the commission’s work,” said Town Manager Kelly Arnold. “You may want regular monthly updates from Ian (McCargar, town attorney) to keep up with those.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper created a commission in December to study the amendment and recommend action to the state. The work is ongoing at this time.

McCargar’s concern, he said, related to the line between private and public consumption and use of marijuana.

“The growth and industrial sides of the industry require a state license,” he said. “The private can’t be regulated; we can’t regulate a guy having five of his friends come to his house to smoke pot. But at what point does use in a private setting become an area of concern?”

McCargar pointed to Denver’s Club 64, a members-only club allowing patrons to smoke marijuana, as an example.

“If a club was to open its doors in Windsor and you decide you don’t want them at all, or in particular locations, then we’re playing catch-up,” he said. “That’s what concerns me most.”

Mayor John Vazquez did not want to be in that position.

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“I don’t think it’s inappropriate to say timeout until the state has figured it out, and we’ve had a chance to put our policy together,” he said, advocating for a moratorium on marijuana operations in Windsor. “It’s what the community would expect.”

McCargar said he wasn’t sure a moratorium would be effective against the members-only private club model.

“It’s still private, because there’s a membership criteria component,” he said.

Vazquez said he felt the board had to act.

“This community was not ready for medical marijuana, and they certainly are not ready for this,” he said.

And even though both Weld and Larimer counties passed Amendment 64 overall, voters specifically in Windsor did not.

Town Clerk Patti Garcia provided results for Windsor voters from both counties, but warned they might not be totally accurate.

“Depending on the precinct lines, votes could be picked up that aren’t truly in Windsor,” Garcia wrote in an email. “Both Weld and Larimer County noted that the number of votes listed below are not 100 percent accurate, but their report does provide a close estimate of the number of votes registered for Windsor on Amendment 64.”

Weld County’s results showed the no votes outweighed yes votes by 625 votes. Larimer County was not as close, with the no votes outweighing the yes votes by 871.

McCargar suggested that the board could consider some sort of ordinance relating to bans based on zoning.

“You can’t stop private activity, but you can say that if you want to use your public storefront to host private activities such as the clubs, you can only do so in certain areas of town,” McCargar said.

McCargar will be presenting more information to the board during the Jan. 21 work session.